What My Voices Tell Me and How I Found Hope in a Lisp

My desire is to be transparent with this blog & this is one of the more raw posts I’ve published. I struggle with voices of fear & doubt and they’re trying to sabotage my dreams. The loudest of these voices pretty much repeats the same 3 words:

‘You’re Not enough.”

The quitter in me has a way of convincing me that others are doing great things but I am destined for mediocrity; that the many imperfections I have are what is holding me back from being a published author, a speaker or a 5 Star Ambassador with Visalus. Simply put, my voices try to convince me that successful people are that way because of a natural gift, a particular skill set I can’t develop or just plain luck. I’ve a feeling I may not be alone in this.

Oddly enough, I find great comfort in Jon Acuff’s lisp. Jon is actually my favorite author and someone I admire very much. It’s a strange thing to fall in like with a lisp, I know, but it’s also the truth. He’s not perfect & I love that about him. I’ve followed his ascension to stardom for years but never actually heard him speak until meeting him at a book signing a few months ago for his new book, START.

My biggest fear now is for Jon to actually read this & suddenly realize he may have a lisp. Sorta like the time I intercepted a note from one of my students and found out I had a bald spot I started shaving my head the next day. I find great delight in the nuances of others that make them unique and move them South of Vanilla. (Now I just ticked off the vanilla lovers!)

The point is, while some may discover the imperfections of people and see less, I see them as a reminder that success is reserved for those who keep hustling. I am compelled to silence that voice within me that whispers, “You’re not enough”, and simply respond,

“Oh no, I’m MORE than enough.”

I’m curious, what do your voices tell you? Comment below and check out Jon Acuff’s project NoMoreVoices.com to contribute to the conversation already going on there.

NOTE: If you just thought to yourself, “I don’t hear voices in my head! He’s crazy!” Then welcome to the voice in your head.

The voices in your head are hereditary… sorry about that but psychiatry has not, as of now, advanced far enough to help us much! Just know that although it may have been matched, no father has ever been prouder of his son than I am of you! Through your experiences as a teacher and an ambassador, you have always shrived to succeed by elevating those who choose to associate themselves with you. THAT my son, is as much success as a man can ask for. The rest is just the gravy on the potatoes. love you much

First, I want to say that, fortunately for me, the voices that mattered most were always encouraging. But the voices in the world are often much louder. More than that, they seem like they determine so much of our potential.

Second, those voices of the world would often look at my level of A.D.D./A.D.H.D. as a disorder. When I found the concept called “ideaphoria”, where rapid thought was considered a strength to be harnessed, I was liberated from much of what the voices were telling me. One thought, that my rapid thought could be strength, knocked over a series of dominoes which re-ignited my vision for myself. This journey, the one that goes against the voices of the world, has led me around the world and into a life of love and adventure. It has even led to State of the Spark, and all of our projects to help others ignore the voices.

Thank you for calling out this uniqueness in individuals. List, baldness, ideaphoria, or whatever! These things make us powerful.

Ideaphoria? I’m gonna’ have to research that a bit. If knowing about it was instrumental in you accomplishing the things you’ve accomplished so early in life then it will definitely be worth my time to educate myself. Thanks for your candor & the info. I appreciate you stopping by!